Sewful Inspiratons

Sunday, October 16, 2011

"UpCycling" The New Couture

GREEN FASHION IS MORE THAN A PASSING TREND...

I would call it a way of life, in a society obsessed with instant gratification, novelty, and conspicuous consumption, it’s easy to dismiss fashion design as frivolous and unnecessary. Skirt lengths and platform heights appear inconsequential when compared to real-world concerns like climate change, economic strife, water shortages, and hunger and malnutrition. But if you consider the fact that clothing and style for that matter is something we envelope our bodies in every single day, to ignore the apparel industry’s environmental and social impact would be foolish and not to mention foolhardy as loosely quoted by the web blog Ecouterre.com a site that high lights the art of "up-cycling" at it's finest.

Nonetheless, a good number of designer's including myself perform a significant amount of up-cycling to create new garments that can be easily classified as Haute' Couture or High Fashion. To frown upon the deconstruction and reinvention of these garments is obnoxious in my opinion and somewhat irresponsible. The process of bending your mind to re-create a garment that is already finished is not an easy one.

In my newest endeavor to make a splash on the fashion scene. I've linked up with fellow designers, fashion editors, bloggers and other enthusiasts creating a platform to showcase up-cycled designs. With the sponsor of all sponsors in this genre being Goodwill North Georgia. Goodwill's mission enhances the dignity and quality of life of individuals, families and communities by eliminating barriers to opportunity and helping people in need reach their fullest potential through the power of work. Now I'm all for empowerment, you know each one teach one.

But, Did You Know???

With a countless number of headlines such as the one above, as a designer the choice to up-cycle is not a difficult one. As a consumer the option to seek out clothing and accessories that are not developed in a sweatshop environment takes some thought but is really a no-brainer. So fittingly, my runway inspiration for this show will be the incredible 70's inspired Gucci RTW line for Fall/Winter 2011. Yeah, I love designer style but it can be a hard pill to swallow when the possibility of others livelihoods are at stake.

1 comment:

how fantastic is this post! you know i am a major advocate for upcycling and repurposing. the idea of renewing and breathing new life into something old is something i believe more ppl would be into if they wanted to. it is certainly a personal choice and it requires a lot of imagination ; you have to be able to see the possibilities and think outside the box of conventional ideas of what fashion or style is, should be or looks like. it's not something you just jump into to be cool or latch on to .. it is a way of life...

i appreciate your creativity and spirit and wish you all the best with your second show.